Weird Would Be An Understatement
by Canadino
Summary: Vash finds Maddox lying in the middle of the hallway. This isn't anything out of the ordinary, really. Swiss/HK


**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the story idea and only some of the witty remarks. I own so little; so please don't steal.**

Background music: -

Weird Would Be an Understatement

Vash, as did the rest of the school, knew the Asians were a bit off kilter from everyone else. Yao was obsessive about all sorts of cute things to the point that he owned more Shinatty-chan merchandise than any girl. Kiku was quiet and kept to himself but magically materialized whenever anything scandalous occurred, camera surgically attached to his hand. Yong Soo insisted on ownership of anyone's breasts, be it male or female. While the girls in the Asian group, like Mei, seemed normal enough, the fact that they were able and willing to tolerate the others' antics was deemed strange. It was common knowledge that this group (they didn't quite fit the clique standards) was one where nothing they did was to be questioned seriously.

So Vash should not have been surprised when he saw Maddox sprawled in the middle of the hallway.

Now Vash did not consider he and Maddox to be 'friends'. That would be using the term loosely. The point of the matter was that Maddox had been interacting with him as of late. Vash caught him trying to set off a line of firecrackers behind the pool. Maddox caught him using a nail gun (this was not against the rules; he was in shop but somehow it felt different). The Chinese boy had exchanged a few vague words with him and that was really all there was to them. They might have passed in the halls or happened to be in the same place. Vash was not trying to look for him. Maddox just allowed himself to be found.

And there he was, lying with his back to the checkered linoleum spread eagle, staring up at the florescent lights as if they spoke the secrets of life.

People had walked around him, as if he were a crime scene not to be touched, but they gawked at him nonetheless. Maddox did not seem particularly bothered by this. Vash did not even notice at first until he saw a break in the mob of heads bobbing in his line of vision. Because there was nothing dangling from the ceiling, he turned to the floor. Someone nearby mumbled something about snow angels. Seeing as it was October, they would be out of season.

A teacher hadn't gotten involved, and while it did not affect Vash in any way, he felt the responsibility of the last person to have spoken to Maddox weigh heavily on him. All he had said was, "I hope you will be able to wash that out," but knowing Maddox, it might have offended him in some way. Somehow. Vash approached the reclining body and kneeled down.

"Maddox," he said.

"That is my name," Maddox replied.

"Why are you lying on the ground?" When Maddox did not immediately reply, Vash decided to ask it in a different way. "Is there something interesting to look at?"

"Sure," Maddox said. "The ceiling. Did you know a lot of the girls don't wear shorts with skirts? Ribbons are popular lately." Vash did not want to know (and he would ask Heidi if she made sure to wear shorts with her dresses). He did not really care. Maddox's mouth was closed, but Vash sensed he was not done speaking. "To answer your first question," Maddox began again, "I am lying on the ground because I want to get your attention."

There was probably a reasonable question to counter this with, but this was what he chose to counter with: "There are better ways to get my attention than lying on the floor."

"True," Maddox contemplated, reaching up to stroke an imaginary beard. "I could put my picture in your sandwich or skydive onto the building, but I would be questioned if I went through your lunch and skydiving is expensive." He tore his eyes from the ceiling, his face still expressionless. "But it worked, didn't it?"

Finally, the return of reason. "Why do you want my attention?"

"Because I have a shortage of it." Maddox turned back to the ceiling. "And I think your attention would be worthwhile directed toward me."

Vash stared at him for a moment before standing up. "My attention is distracted at the moment," he said, shouldering his bag that was digging into his neck. "But I'm sure Heidi will not minding sharing it during lunch."

Maddox nodded at him from the floor. "I will keep that in mind. I will have a talk with her and convince her to give up her monopoly on it." In a swift motion, he jumped up to his feet, bypassing the sitting-up stage. "I will be leaving now," he announced, before pushing his way through the crowd of students.

Maddox had a lot of distinctive traits that made him a token Asian, Vash concluded. But this had to be, by far, the weirdest.

Owari

[=]

Note: Now I'm not saying I own it, but those were legitimately the (bad) ways to get a boy's attention in American Girl's Guide to Boys. I just wanted to write Hong Kong lying on the floor, okay! I can't capture STWW's deadpan HK. Sorry, I tried. I am putting myself on a week's hiatus! It's the first week of school so I should focus! But mainly I am feeling a writer's block! So I will rest my writing juices! Make do with a Swiss/HK for now, darlings! I will be back! Thanks for reading!


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